New Pants Like Old Friends - Guide to Sewing Wide Leg Pants.

I'm sharing the details of the self-drafted wide leg pants I started making 2 years ago! Read on for a guide to the books and tools I used to draft and make these custom pants, and wide leg pant sewing pattern suggestions if you're not in to starting from scratch.

A while ago I read a post on Instagram where someone at least one fashion cycle younger than I am talked about what a revelation high waisted pants were to her. How they are surprisingly comfortable, and flattering to someone raised on low rise. That post stuck in my head for days. I love high waists and wide legs, but to me they were no epiphany, more like old friends. The kind of friend you haven't seen in years, but can pick up right where you left off. Age has few benefits, but at least when the fashion pendulum swings, I already know what I'm going to feel good in.

A few years ago, when I'd totally had it with squeezing my bootie into skinny jeans, and was missing the pants from brighter days, I decided I wanted to recreate a style my past self lived in. Something anchored at my natural waist, flowy, but not to the point of palazzo pants. Before, I would have searched high and low for those pants, found only a few choices at the tip of the fashion trend wave, and lamented the price point. This time, I drafted myself a pattern, and made myself some pants.

This particular pair of WLPs is sewn with Sew Classic Slub Linen from Joann Fabric. It's pretty good fabric, with a nice drape, doesn't cost much (don't forget your coupon!), and is easy for me to get when I feel like experimenting. When I make such a simple style of anything I feel the need to compensate for the lack of technical difficulty with an extra thoughtful finish on the inside. I bias bound the pocket bags and the faux fly on the inside. I serged and topstitched the inner leg, and crotch seams, and serged and top stitched to the edge of the pocket opening on the outer leg seam. The dot tag is a tiny scrap of Nani Iro double gauze.

These pants are pretty effortless to style up or down. This is my black Brussels Washer Linen Blend (affiliate) Scout Tee, and the DIY Pipe Necklace I made a few months ago. I've worn this necklace in 4 out of 5 of the last blog posts, so I'm gonna go ahead and label it a success (and try to wear something else next time :).

Books and Tools to Draft Your Own Sewing Patterns

Just before tackling my first WLPs I took a pattern drafting class at Made Institute in Philadelphia. The class was fantastically informative, but if you don't live near a fashion design school don't despair. A confident maker can work out basic pattern drafting without formal instruction. The main resource I took away from the class was the book: Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong. The book shows where/what to measure and gives step by step instructions for drafting your own patterns with suggested ease for different styles. Based on this book I drafted my first version of the  pants. They fit, but as with anything some tweaking was necessary.  I made a basted muslin, when I got the stitching where I wanted it I traced over the stitching with a Sharpie (wish I had pictures of that!) so I could be certain which line of stitching was the real one. The resulting pair of "final" pants were pretty good. As I wore those pants (and once I came down from the maker's high) I identified a few little things I wanted to make better. I used the book Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Any Body by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto to tweak the fit. This is an absolute must read for anyone sewing pants. It very clearly diagrams common fit problems and their solutions. With subsequent versions I made the length shorter, the legs wider, tweaked the crotch curve, and the rise to near perfection (I'm still on the maker's high for this version, gotta wear them a few times to get my objectivity back).

Pattern drafting is easy with a few simple tools. An 18" clear plastic ruler makes pattern layout and finding right angles easy. A french curve is essential for creating elegant curves. A 24" curved ruler (let's just pretend I remembered to put this one in the picture), for long gentle curve blending. And your favorite pencil. I like to make the guidelines in a color, then go back over the final outline in #2. You could probably free hand the curves if you want to limit your investment in specific tools, but the standard curves definitely make the finished product look more professional. For the class we drafted onto brown craft paper. I like to use my embarrassingly vast stash of old building plans from my recycling bin in a past life because they are white, but equally sturdy. In a pinch I've used old rolls of gift wrap. The standard way to transfer the marks onto new paper is with a tracing wheel. The points on this one are much sharper than the one you may already have to transfer marks to fabric. I prefer to trace my patterns onto the same architectural tracing paper I use for tracing all of my purchased patterns. Then I can easily pin it to fabric with no steps in-between. When I get to a final design, I then transfer the pattern to sturdy paper for reproducibility.

Wide Leg Pants Sewing Patterns

image credit True Bias / 100 Acts of Sewing / Named Clothing
Megan Nielsen / Helen's Closet

If full on pattern drafting is not your thing, you could start with the True Bias Emerson Crop Pants (like these lovelies by Andrea), the Named Clothing Ninni Elastic Waist Culottes (like Katie!) or the 100 Acts of Sewing Pants No. 1 (like Theresa's) pattern and and use the Pants for Real People book to tweak the fit. The Megan Nielsen Flint Pants are a slightly more structured jumping off point (loving Heather's basic black pair). The Helen's Closet Winslow Culottes also have a more structured waist, but plenty of delicious width through the leg (and Sara's version is va-va-voluminous!). Or check out the Sew News Pants Month for a great overview of popular pants patterns.

The repetitive oscillations of the fashion sine curve keep getting closer together, retro 70's, follow vintage 80's, with grunge 90's hot on their heels until everything seems current all at the same time, in one big jumble. Those seeking fashion will fall pray to these trends, a sewist seeking style can make whatever she finds most appealing, and flattering no matter what is in the window at Anthropologie. I've had this post on my mind for a few weeks, but saved it for today to coincide with Slow Fashion October. Making my own clothes allows me to think of my wardrobe as a continuum rather than something that gets tossed every few years (or even months!) as tastes change. Participating in the online knitting and sewing community has changed my way of thinking about my relationship to clothing and following sustainable fashion blogs (here, and here) have changed the way I think about dressing myself. I can safely build a wardrobe around reproducible silhouettes, that flatter my body. When WLP's vanish from store shelves, as is their certain destiny, I'll be ready. Wide leg pants and I need never be parted again.

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Pants Pattern: Self-Drafted

Pants Fabric: Sew Classic Slub Linen in Black Papyrus from Joann Fabrics

Shirt Pattern: Scout Tee by Grainline Studio (Blogged here)

Shirt Fabric: Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen Blend from Fabric.com (affiliate)

Necklace: Tutorial Here

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Liberty Floral Archer Buttonup & Boreal Fragment Scarf

The Archer Buttonup (from Grainline Studio) is one of my most worn winter styles. My default out to dinner outfit is the chambray Archer View B with booties and black skinny pants. My favorite slightly more put together than usual day time outfit is the brown check Archer View A, tucked into high waisted jeans. I even wear my near disaster 10oz. denim Archer with sneakers and sweats when I'm in no danger or running into the fashion police. After working out every possible fit issue with previous versions of the Archer Buttonup, I figured it was time to splurge on one in Liberty London Tana Lawn. It's what every Archer wants to be, and what every sane sewist wants to make. This print is called Freya B (from Fancy Tiger Crafts), and I love the vaguely 90s tinge to the washed out pinks, and blueish green. Liberty creases like paper, takes the iron like a dream, and comes in so many fetching prints. The only down side is the price, but it's worth it for the right project.

Sometimes I wrack my brain and wreck my closet trying to find two things that go together (which is why dresses are awesome!). And, sometimes I inadvertently shop in color stories. It always feels good when your haphazard pile of recent makes, fabric purchases, and yarn acquisitions add up to something more than a few random garments. Coming up with colors, prints, and textures that work together automatically adds flexibility to my handmade wardrobe. Adding a little hand knit to a sewn garment adds depth to my commitment to making, and extends the garments usefulness to different seasons, and occasions. I sewed this shirt because it is a style I wear a lot. I added a hand knit Fragment Scarf (or 3) in Quince Finch (Boreal) to give myself some options. I may wear it weekly, but it doesn't always have to look the same. I'm going to knit and sew anyway. Might as well make things that go together.

The theme of blush and burnish even extends to some great stud earrings I was drawn to because they are fragments (get it?:), and finally bought because of the glittering echoes of the yarn and fabric color palette in the pyrite and copper.

I started this project with an unrealistic deadline in mind, which I totally missed. The morning of our anniversary night out, I had this shirt complete up to attaching the sleeves. No cuffs, not collar, no button(s)/holes, or hem. I was tempted to just bang it out with the quickest finishes possible, but in the end decided it would be an injustice fabric splurges everywhere.  I found something else to put on my body, and finished this project the next day to the very best of my ability: french seams at the shoulders and sides, particularly careful topstitching of interior collar stand, and the full Archer Popover Variation sleeve placket. The standard Archer placket always seemed like a short cut to me. But the first time (or two) I made it, I was so focused on how to build a wearable shirt, that I didn't waste too much time worrying about the beginner placket. Now I can burrito roll like a pro, and am more than ready to move on to a more professional looking sleeve opening.

I bought two yards of the Liberty print, and probably wouldn't risk it with less. If you're using accent fabric for the inside of the yoke, cuff, and collar stand you could probably get by with a yard and a half (WARNING: This sewist is not responsible for fabric shortages).

I finished Archer Buttonup last week, and have already worn it 3 times (with different hand knits each time, of course). Closet mission accomplished!

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Shirt Pattern: Archer Buttonup with Popover Variation Cuffs from Grainline Studio

Shirt Fabric: Liberty London Tana Lawn in Freya B from Fancy Tiger Crafts 

Scarf Pattern: Fragment Scarf from SweetKM (ahem, me!)

Scarf Yarn : Finch in Boreal from Quince and Co. 

Lengthened Alder Shirtdress

It would seem the 90’s are cool again. There may be some gray area in the cool factor if you’ve already participated in a trend during a previous fashion cycle, but I’m willing to overlook that possible age induced faux pas for the feel on rayon on my legs. This dress revisits the long flowing frocks of the 90’s. I loved them in floral rayons then, I love them in linen rayon now.

This is a lengthened Alder Shirtdress. A modification I’ve had on my mind since I cut out my first view A (made before View B, View B) last year. Why is it that good ideas hit you at the exact moment it’s too late to do anything about them. I really wanted that dress to be mid-length, it took until now to realize the vision. I made this dress over a month ago, and wear it every chance I get, but photographing mat black is well above my skill level. I finally gave up and went with my normal white door backdrop. The details are lost, you’ll have to trust me that there weren’t many to begin with.

This is pretty straightforward Alder except that I lengthened pattern 9” then raised the highest point of the curve 3” at the sides. Next time I might raise the sides a few inches more. I used the square pockets of the Archer. Otherwise it is made as written.

The fabric is the perfectly mat, delightfully flowy Robert Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen Blend. It’s a rayon/linen blend making for a really nice drape. I used the few black and white scraps I had to liven up the insides, and brown tone buttons for a little contrast.

As far as summer dresses go this one is pretty awesome, flowing and unstructured for the summer heat, but casual enough to wear for no special reason. If I promise never to wear it with Doc Martin’s, I think the fashion police will overlook my transgression.

PROJECT NOTES:

Pattern: Alder Shirtdress from Grainline Studio

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen from Fabric.com

FOLLOW ALONG!

    

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